Childish Innocence
by Angel Fantasy
Summary: With Tarble now living at CC, things become interesting for the newly formed troublesome trio when they decide to see if Vegeta still has some child innocence left in him. Ticklish fic. A Trunks/Vegeta/Tarble/Goten story.


Disclaimer: DBZ and all DBZ/GT characters property of Akira Toriyama. I'm just borrowing them.

A/N: That's my fourth fanfic! My third one is still under construction, since I have difficulties untangling the beginning of my story. Do not worry through, I swear on the grave of my great grandfather that it will be written and published! Also, I give my thanks to Omnipotent Porunga, who has encouraged me many times in a row to continue my stories. This one is done especially for you, so I hope you'll like it. So R&R, everybody!

*Yawns* my imagination really is running wild for keeping up at 3h00 in the morning, as if I had plenty of energy…

***********

A fuming Trunks stomped his way into his bedroom, slamming his door shut as he climbed into his bed to beat his pillow.

He had had enough of his father's uncaring attitude! He tried to get his attention through pranks, and it wasn't working! He tried to distract him from his training so he could pass time with him, but then he got a scary glare and a speech about emotions being weak! When he spared with him, all he got for his efforts are insults of him being 'not strong enough', or 'you're slacking, brat! Show me your real power, for fuck's sake!'!

He did everything to make his father proud of him, but he didn't seem to notice at all!

It was his cold heart that stopped Trunks from reaching his dad's feelings, that he knew for sure, but… How to get past that ice wall?

He knew by instincts that it was his cold heart and attitude that helped his dad to survive in Frieza's army, but to still act that way toward his own son and mate, to still not trust them after everything they had done for him…

It was agonizing. Mentally and physically.

If only he knew what to do…

Trunks's eyes snapped open, a 100 watts torch flashing inside his mind. Of course! Why didn't he think of them before!

Scrambling out of his bed and into the hall, he swiftly made his way toward his uncle's room, his helplessness against his father's uncaring attitude completely forgotten.

Tarble, Vegeta's newly discovered little brother and uncle of Trunks, had come to planet Earth a month ago or so, asking help from the Z-Fighters (more specifically, from his big brother) to fight off the brother duo, Abo and Cabo, that was terrorizing the planet he had been sent at when he was a little kid.

King Vegeta, having secretly expected a second child from the Queen at the same moment that his son was forcefully taken by Frieza, had hidden his pregnant mate from all the world to save him from the tyrant's grasp, not wanting Tarble to grow in a bloodied entourage like his first son.

Unfortunately, Zarbon and Dodoria had not been fooled with his desperate tactic, and had quickly discovered their hideout. Deciding to bring an end to what they thought could be a potential Super Saiyan, Dodoria was able to land a deadly punch in the Queen's stomach, before the King could get Zarbon out of the way.

It was with a broken heart that King Vegeta had watched helplessly his mate die from a very painful and difficult labor, managing to bring their second son to the world before being swept away by Death's hands. Tarble, suffering the effect of Dodoria's punch to the very core of his cells, got an irreparable damage, and was unable to draw ki from his body, his power level indicating zero when he was scanned secretly afterwards.

His hopes for a potential Super Saiyan crushed, and his spirit torn to shreds from a very deep sadness any father would feel when he knew son was different from the others, King Vegeta was forced to send his son away on a far away star system, where he knew that Tarble would be safe from any danger.

It was after that same tragedic night where he lost his son, watched his mate die, and was forced to sent his newborn second son away, that he decided to attack Frieza, to finish him once and for all.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen this way, and Tarble remained on his far away planet, obvious to his sire's death and his natal planet's destruction.

Said second Prince was now mourning the lost of his wife, who was killed in the explosion of her space pod, while the two of them runned away from Abo and Cabo.

It took three whole years for him to cover the distance from his star system to Earth, so Shenron and Porunga were unable to revive her, despite their best efforts and powers.

However, they did secretly break his bond with is wife, so he could start anew and have children, which was not possible with her, since their races were incompatible with each other.

And so here Tarble was, living at Capsule Corps with his big brother and his nephew. His newly acquired chamber was beside Trunks's, separated by the chamber for the guests.

Knocking slightly, Trunks entered the bedroom.

"Uncle Tarble? Are you there?" he asked, looking left and right for the Saiyan in question.

Nothing.

Damn.

His absence of ki made it difficult for him to find, and he and Goten often had to look out with their eyes to find him.

Closing the door, he got up to search the whole complex. The hide and seek game begin.

An "Uncle Taaaarble!" was shouted from the main hall.

Another "Oh uncle Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarblllleeee!!" was heard in the laundry area.

……..

"UNCLE TARBLE!!!" was bellowed from the garden, scaring a flock of birds away in the process. They squawked in indignation.

Coming to rest beside the Gravity Room, he paused, thinking of where he had seen the other Saiyan go from time to time.

"Where could he be?"

He walked back on his steps, making his way to the kitchen. There would be more chances to find him there.

And find him he did. Uncle Tarble, his head hidden by the fridge's door, was currently making himself a little snack ( three dozen of extra big club sandwiches, to be precise), his stomach growling loudly every now and then to remind him that he hadn't completed his task.

Smirking mischievously, he tip-toed his way to Tarble, coming to stand just behind his uncle.

"Uncle Taaaaarble!" Trunks shouted, jumping onto his back while hugging him with all he was worth

Said Saiyan let out shriek of surprise, knocked his head against the upper wall of the fridge, and dropped the mayonnaise and salad he was holding to catch himself on the counter to avoid slamming into the end of the fridge, not wanting to dent it.

Using his tail like a snake, he caught the two ingredients, and gently lowered them to the ground. He sighed in relief when he was able to stabilize himself in his awkward position.

However, if his nephew continued to hug him like that, he wouldn't live for very long. His crushed lungs clearly protested.

"T-Trunks, let me go, please, so I can-n get up!" he whizzed, trying to breath. His voice was a little muffled from being half inside the fridge, so it took some seconds to get to Trunks's ears.

"What-? Oh, sorry uncle Ta!" and Trunks rolled off.

Coughing for a few moments, Tarble backed away a few steps and closed the door, to next rub his hurting head.

Shaking himself back together, he then looked at his nephew, who looked back at him with a barely suppressed snicker. A predatory gleam could be clearly seen in his eyes, as if to say 'I got ya!', which was not too far from the truth.

"Trunks? What do you want? I'm busy preparing my meal, so I don't think I'll be able to help you now."

"I wanted to ask you something…"

"And?"

"Well… Would you like to help me for something special?"

Surprised, Tarble looked at Trunks with a wary eye, not wanting to be caught in a trap. He did remember vividly being the one on the receiving end of that 'something special, like Trunks said, and he had not liked it at all.

Trunks, noticing his uncle's wariness, changed tactics.

"Just come to my bedroom tonight for a special meeting. Goten will be there too. I'll explain everything."

And with that, Trunks was gone.

Tarble blinked, then blinked again.

"What just happened …?"

********

Five minutes later…

The phone rang throughout the entire Son household, demanding attention.

A thunderclap of footsteps could be heard all over the second floor, and Gohan, clothed in only a towel (he was in the shower), followed closely by Goten, half clothed with a toothbrush in his mouth, tumbled down the stairs while shouting "I GOT IT!" at the same time.

They toppled over each other to get to the phone, not wanting the other to take it. Alas, Goten was smaller than his big brother, so he was able to dive between his legs and lung at the phone, snatching it away from Gohan before he could touch it.

Why were they so obsessed with answering the phone, do you ask?

Because they were waiting for their best friend to call (or, in Gohan's case, his girlfriend), so it was making them nervous. Gohan was going to his first date with Videl, and so he was keeping an ear out for the ringing of the phone, knowing she would tell him when she was ready. After all, it was pretty bad for a man's reputation to make a lady wait, now was it?

Goten, on the other hand, was waiting for Trunks to call because he was going to sleep a night at Capsule Corps with his friend. Very excited, he was literally bouncing up and down the floor, creating a thumping sound that added a rhythm to the Son household. It was as if he was a clock's needle, ticking every second. But the sounds coming from his impact on the ground were much louder than a simple ticking, that was for sure.

Needless to say, there were all waiting impatiently for the phone to ring, so they could get out of the house and go play with their date/friend.

Sticking out his tongue at his sulking big brother, Goten then answered the phone with the most cheerful voice his innocent chibi vocals could muster:

"Hi! Son Goten listening! What can I do for you?"

"Goten! Do you think you come to my house?" asked Trunks, on the other end of the line. Goten's eyes lit up at hearing his friend's voice.

"Trunks! Yes, I'll be right there!" he responded cheerfully.

"Tarble is going to be there too, by the way."

"Really?! Will he play with us?!"

"I think so, but I'm not sure. Do you think you can help me convince him?"

"Hi!"

"Okay then! See you at five o'clock!"

"Bye!"

After closing the phone, Goten raced back to his room to prepare himself, leaving his big brother to get shouted at by his mom about not letting dripping footprints inside the house.

********

_Capsule Corps, 5h00 PM._

Two shadows moved silently along the darkened halls of Capsule Corps, tip-toeing quietly toward Trunks's room.

Arrived at his door, one of them stared left and right, looking for any possible interruptions while the other knocked slightly on the door.

The door opened, and dim light fell into the hall for a second, revealing Goten and Tarble's faces, a serious expression written on them. Before we could even question why they were wearing serious faces, the darkness was there once again.

"Are you sure there was no one following you two?" asked Trunks, nervous yet excited at the same time.

"There wasn't a fly when we got there, and the halls were empty when we came." responded Tarble, his little military experience and memory surging to the light.

Trunks nodded, then turned around to go sit on his bed. Goten and Tarble followed him, curious as to why they were being so secretive and silent.

All sitting in a triangle like formation, they looked at their 'leader' (1), waiting for his instructions. Said leader waited a little longer, enjoying the suspense. Finally, he said:

"Goten, uncle Tarble, I need you two to help me accomplish what I believe is an impossible mission." said Trunks, completely serious and acting like a general gravely talking to his loyal soldiers for the last time before going to the war. Which might have been the case, if Frieza hadn't destroyed Planet Vegeta and it's inhabitants…

Goten didn't say a word, too captivated by his friend's talking to nod. Tarble, on the other hand, only lifted an eyebrow in puzzlement, questions evident in his eyes as he looked intensively at his nephew. He didn't like the look he had on his face.

"And what is this 'impossible' mission you're talking about?" retorted Tarble, a little sceptic. After all, if his nephew couldn't do something that needed strength, how could he help when he had none?

Goten nodded, impatient to get to work. "Yeah, Trunks, what is it?!"

The answer came so freely and so clearly for the duo that they were stunned to silence for a moment.

"We have to bring my father's childish innocence to the light, and make him happy."

The room was deadly quiet for five whole minutes.

Gotten was looking at the ceiling, puzzled, trying to imagine Vegeta with a goofy grin on his face, while laughing heartedly. By the look of horror on his face, thought, we could definitely see that his thoughts were scaring the shit out of him. After all, from his early experiences with him, a happy Vegeta always meant trouble for them.

Big trouble.

Tarble, on the other end, had his eyes closed, thinking of the pro and cons of his nephew's request. Arms crossed on his chest in a Vegeta like posture, it was almost possible for Trunks to see the wheels spinning inside his head. On one side, he could help Trunks do what he needed to do, and on the other, he could get heavily punished for his part in this mission by his big brother, a thing he didn't want at all. The refusing option seemed like the best choice from the situation…

Trunks continued his explanation after some other minute of silence. "But, I don't know how to get past his cold attitude, and that's where I need your help, guys. I need ideas, because I'm seriously out of pranks…"

Nodding, his uncle and best friend thought of all the ways they knew of to make a person happy. Tarble was having a little bit more difficulties, thought, because of his education on an alien planet and the knowledge of a different custom than those of Earth.

But, to the Oujis's surprises, it was Goten who broke the ice.

"We could make him laugh." was all he said.

The others stared at him as if he was an idiot. And for a good reason, too.

How could they make Vegeta laugh when he wasn't interested in what they were doing?

Trunks was not a boy known to lower himself to please another, nor did Tarble. So if Goten was suggesting that they get dressed in girly pink robes with tons of make up and danced in the gravity room like pampered ballerinas to impress Vegeta, that was out of the question.

Worse, instead of laughing his head off, he would just stare at his siblings like they had popped a second head, and insult them with all he was worth. He would feel humiliated and ashamed that his son and little brother would lower themselves to such low levels to impress a person.

Who wouldn't?

No, it wasn't the best idea at all.

Goten stared innocently back at the Oujis, wondering what it was that he said in his idea that was wrong.

Finally, he decided to explain himself to make them understand.

"Well, dad always said that to get someone to be happy when they didn't want to was to make them laugh. He said that it is a good cure to their sad and angry thoughts, and that they are always calm and happy afterward. Grandpa Gohan often made dad laugh when he was a baby, because he always got grumpy and angry at nothing. Maybe we should tickle Vegeta too, so he could laugh!"

Excited with his thoughts, it was with barely restrained control that he didn't bounce up and down on Trunks's bed.

Tarble responded, unsure of Goten's full effects in his tactics. "But… we don't even know if my brother is ticklish or not! Sure, you and Trunks may be ticklish, but that's because you're half-Saiyans, and the possibility mostly comes from your mother's sides! Your dad may be ticklish (He's a third class, after all), but my brother, a Royal that never knew of that and was never touched in that way…? Even I didn't know what is was until I came here!"

The troublesome duo looked at each other, a hidden message passing between them. Then they looked at him with mischievous glints in their narrowed eyes.

Tarble squirmed under their gazes, clearly uncomfortable. "What?"

Then he paled, realizing what they wanted to do. They wouldn't… Wouldn't they?

The evil smirks on their faces and their twitching fingers were all he needed for his answer.

They would.

Oh shit.

"NO WAY!!!" he shouted, scrambling off the bed and making a beeline for Trunks's door, Goten hot on his tail.

Unfortunately for him, his nephew had already seen and prevented his desperate escape. Using his super speed, he blocked the door.

Opening his arms wide in a 'come-to-papa' fashion to welcome his uncle, he got to attack his sides with glee when Tarble screeched to a stop and turned around, bolting for the window. Goten was right behind him, and got tickle his belly and ribs when Tarble turned to face him.

Shouts ands howls of laugher quickly filled the room, as Tarble was helpless to stop Goten and his nephew's running fingers from finding all his weak spots. Falling to the floor from his instinctive bucking to get the chibis off him, all he could do was hold his sides and curl in a foetus position in a desperate attempt to hide his armpits, ribs and belly from the duo, where he instinctively knew that he was the most ticklish.

Alas for him, Goten, more experienced in the matter than Trunks due to his forest education (he was licked all the time by dinosaurs, so he was always tickled in some way), managed to dig a finger in his belly button and wriggle it with all he was worth. Straddling his waist to get better access to his upper body, he continued to wriggle his other hand around his sides, speeding his pace. Trunks, understanding his best friend's tactics, grinned and did the same with Tarble's armpits and back.

The results were wonderful.

Tarble shrieked in laugher from sensory overload, tears falling from his face, his body not being able to take so much stimulation at this level.

His mind threatening to shut off in last resort to block all the feelings his body gave to his brain, it was with big difficulties that he managed to howl his plea to Goten:

"hheHEEhehehe aAHahahahAHA! Gotehehehehehehn! StoOHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH IT! NO MOHOHOHOHOHOHOHRE!"

Not being able to say the same thing to Trunks, it was with torture that he waited for his friends to stop their assaults.

The duo recluently pulled away, having enjoyed their little pranks on Tarble.

But thy knew they would do it again someday, that was for sure.

Panting loudly and shaking from the feel of their fingers still wriggling their way in his weak spots, Tarble instinctively hugged himself for a while, not trusting his body to get up.

Trunks smirked, admiring his work. "I think Tarble got his answer as to weither or not dad is ticklish, right Goten?"

Goten also smirked. "I don't think so, Trunks. Look; Tarble isn't uttering a sound! Maybe he wants us to do it again! Should we?"

"We should."

Tarble, sensing that imminent danger was coming toward him, lifted his head to see the troublesome duo advancing their way to him, their fingers twitching.

Eyes widening at their evil smirks, he quickly crawled away from them, his puffed tail now twice it's normal size indicating that he was really scared. It wasn't a game for him anymore, but a desperate attempt to escape the two predators wanting to kill him.

"I got it, I got it guys! If I'm ticklish, then big brother is too. Don't make me laugh again, please; you nearly killed me!" pathetic maybe, but what else could he do but beg for mercy when he was out of energy to stand and run away? They really had drawn out his force quite much. It was a miracle that he hadn't lost consciousness!

But they continued to advance toward him. Readying himself for another bout of ticklish torture (who may be his last one, since he was sure he wouldn't be able to survive to it), he was instead met with gentle hands rubbing soothingly his back, where he hurt the most from laughing so much.

Goten's face came into view, a goofy grin on his features. A senzu bean was pressed into his lips (where did he get that?), and he happily munched it.

Some seconds later, he was back on his feet, full of energy and rubbing his puffed tail back to it's normal size, eyeing warily the two chibis before him. It wouldn't hurt to be on his guard while around them for some time…

"Sorry for scaring you, uncle Tarble, but we just wanted you to understand that even Saiyans can be ticklish…" said Trunks, feeling sorry for his sibling.

"We'll be careful next time with you, we promises!" accompanied Goten, noticing Tarble's scowl and defensive posture. He may be the dumbest person in the universe beside his dad, but even he knew when someone was insecure around another person. To his eyes, Trunks's uncle was ready to run away, should they try anything suspicious toward him at any moment. He didn't want to lose his trust.

Said Saiyan looked at the troublesome duo for another full minute. They seemed really sorry for what they had done.

Relaxing slightly, he then listened to Trunks, who decided to tell them his plan. That was after making sure his uncle was alright, and didn't want to run away again.

"Ok guys, since we're all sure now that dad is ticklish, let me tell you my plan…"

********

_Gravity Room, 11h34 PM._

Punch. Kick. Jump. Kick. Kick. Punch. Dodge. Land. Kick. Punch. Punch.

That was a basic kata that Vegeta was now practicing, to relax his body in times of stress. He may not want to do such stupid beginner training, but after having blown the GR to pieces last week and gotten out of it with his legs broken, his body had screamed for mercy and tended to remind him that it was not immortal with immense pain when he did not respect his bounds.

Bulma also put her own control into action by degrading the gravity room from 1000 G to 500 G, just to make sure that he wouldn't play with fire during her journey to America, where she had an important meeting with many other scientists.

Damned restrictions.

He would need to train thrice as hard now, because of his body's protests and that blasted woman's interruption of his work. He didn't need to be pampered like a fucking baby! He was the Saiyan Prince, for fuck's sake! He could take care of himself for all he knew! He did not grow weak because of some body problems!

_"Really? Then why is it protesting that you are pushing it too much?"_ a sneering voice in his head said, snickering.

'Shut up! My body is stronger than that, and it's not a pathetic training like I'm forced to do right now that will stop it from growing stronger!'

_"Give up, Vegeta. You know that Kakarot is stronger than you, so why try to break those statements?" _

'I'm the Saiyan Prince, and a Saiyan Prince must be stronger than any other Saiyans, or not be worthy of the title itself! I did not live under Frieza's reign, get tailless and survive without it, ascend to Super Saiyan and train like that for nothing! I must get stronger, to beat Kakarot and be the strongest fighter in the universe, like I'm supposed to be!'

_"That bullshit was all gone 20 years ago, so why vainly continue your harsh training when you know that you cannot get over your second position?"_

Vegeta was about to retort back at his mind that he was not in second place, when the light and gravity in the GR suddenly cut out, enveloping him in darkness.

Letting out shout of surprise, he slammed into the ceiling face first, not expecting the sudden change in gravity. His flying state didn't help him to stop the collision.

Grunting muffled curses into the tiles of the ceiling, he fell off, managing to hover a few feet off the ground (or so he thought) as he searched blindly for the control panel.

"What the heck?!" cursed Vegeta. "Gravity Room, bring the lights and 500G gravity back on right now!"

Nothing.

No metal feminine voice answering his request, or declining his orders. No clicking and hissing of wires getting back on track. No sparks of electricity.

Only a dead, cold silence hovering in the chamber.

Vegeta didn't want to admit it, but that simple fact was slowly freaking him out. Something was not right. The gravity chamber's lack of voice was not provoked by the lack of electricity, that he knew by earlier experiences.

He was about to repeat his commend, when something cold, wet and slick suddenly traced it's path down his back, starting from his shoulder blades and stopping at his waist.

The hairs at the back of his neck raised, and he almost let out another shout when he felt the strange touch. His back arched a little, wanting to escape the alien sensation.

Startled, he spun around, scanning the room quickly with his senses. Sensing nothing, he blinked, not sure if he had hallucinated or not.

However, the second time it happened, this time under each of his armpits, he knew that he was not alone in the blackened room.

What felt like a finger pressed deeper into his armpits then wriggled a little, and he squirmed out of range of the curious exploration before attacking, meeting only thin air. He did not like his body's response those strange attacks, nor did he like the smile that wanted to trace his features.

Strange that he felt like giggling at the sensation, instead of feeling pain. What was even more frightening, was the fact that he did not felt threatened by what was happening to him. His surviving instincts weren't voicing their orders in his mind, like they always did when imminent danger was near him…

Was he going nuts?!

He didn't have time to ponder that question any longer when the attack restarted, this time at two different places. Small fingers rubbed at his belly and stomach, while ten or so others scrapped at his ribs, going up and down at a rapid space.

Even with all his efforts to keep his mouth shut, he couldn't help the giggle that escaped him when he wasn't able to get out of range fast enough to attack his mysterious opponents. Still sensing no kis in the room, it was with blindness that he defended himself to the best of his abilities, trying to slap the offending hands away from his body.

A sudden feeling of shyness and excitement washed through him, and it was with shock that he realised that a part of him liked what was happening to him.

He was definitely going nuts.

The logic part of his mind stomped the sparkling feelings with rage, then ordered that he retreat to where he thought the sealed door was, to try and bring his attackers to the light so he could fight them while seeing something.

However, since he was not habituated to this bizarre style of fighting, he didn't know how to defend himself from his assailants, and that left him wide open for them to attack him wherever they wanted to.

And his mysterious opponents, whoever they were, were taking great advantage of his weakness by running their fingers all over his upper body. The only places they didn't touch were his chest, his arms and his head.

How ironic.

Strange fighting style indeed.

Completely disoriented after having turned around for the fourth time to wave off the annoying fingers and hands, he was completely unprepared for the spider web of feathers that came next to dance on his body.

Letting out a shout of surprise that quickly transformed itself into laugher, Vegeta didn't get to curse himself at the sounds his vocals were causing, because his left foot encountered what felt like a cord, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

Next thing he knew, his arms and legs were ki bound with ki rings (Where did those come from?! He didn't sense anything!), and the spider web of feathers descended on him with a vengeance, with the fingers as an extra, the pace and pressure doubled.

Howling with laugher at the grouped assaults, Vegeta strained vainly against his binds, desperately trying to escape the sensations coming from all sides at him.

The feathers danced everywhere against his upper body, lightly rubbing the skin of his belly, stomach, sides and back. The fingers, on the other hand, scraped, rubbed, danced, touched, pressed, wriggled and squirmed in his armpits, bellybutton, sides and back, acting like a colony of insect crawling all over his body.

Something bounced off the floor, and the cold air could be felt by his now bare feet. Some seconds later, what his mind determined to be a toothbrush and a painting brush scrapped roughly and softly at his feet, creating a contrast that made him shriek with laugher.

The back of his knees were next to fall under this strange torture, and he was helpless to stop the shouts and howls of laugher that forced themselves out of his throat.

The toes of his right foot were grabbed in a deadly grip and pulled backward, exposing the sensible flesh under it. A rough comb got the pleasure of scrapping it roughly like a sharp dagger cutting butter, going from left to right and vice versa. The same was done to his left foot, while the paint brush and toothbrush were replaced by nails, raking the arch of his feet, making him yowl like a madman.

His mind blank from so much stimulation at so many different points on his body and tears streaking down his face, Vegeta did not even think once to beg for mercy to try and stop the torture. All he could do was feel the alien sensations his body gave to his brain, who vainly tried to analyse and comprehend all the new informations at the same time.

The strange torture continued for another good five minutes (or so he thought; he lost track of time after the third one) before slowly stopping. Panting loudly and shaking as if he had had the best orgasm of his life, Vegeta shivered violently, feeling cold all over his body from having lost so much energy in so little time.

A part of his mind noticed that a warm blanket was put on top of him, to keep him warm. The ki binds were removed, and three little bodies cuddled against him, two of them being Trunks and Goten, who had set their kis back to normal after the event.

The chibis were each on one side of him, cuddled against his chest, while the third one was between his legs, his head using his stomach as a pillow. A tail sneaked it's way around his calf, and Vegeta quickly recognized his little brother, Tarble.

They were still enveloped in complete darkness, but now that Vegeta knew who he was with, he didn't feel so scared anymore. Thought, he didn't know why, but he could definitely feel trunks and Goten smiling against his torso. Tarble, for his part, was simply breathing on his stomach and hugging one of his leg.

Staying limp to regain some forces, he closed his eyes as he tried to clear his mind, who was now a blurry of contradicting emotions.

A part of him felt ashamed and scared of what had happened, knowing that he had been unable to keep his cold attitude in the presence of the three Saiyans before him, and fearing that they would use that newfound weakness against him.

The other, thought, had liked what had happened to him, and wanted to experience it again. It wanted to laugh again, to feel loved and be happy like it was right now.

It wanted to play again.

Vegeta's eyes snapped open, wondering where that thought had come from. He waited for the familiar rage that usually followed such ridiculous thoughts, but it never came. Not even the smallest of protestation came to his mind for the fact that he was actually being gentle, letting Trunks, Goten and Tarble snuggle against him like they were his papa.

Blushing slightly at the thought, he was glad for the darkness to cover his blush, because he wasn't sure if he would have liked Trunks and Goten to see it.

Gods, he was really getting soft.

"_Is that a bad thing?"_

'…No.'

Why deny it when his arrogant part didn't say a word of protest? For once, he was going to stay gentle and love the three Saiyans that did this to him, even Goten.

_"Finally, you realised it. It wasn't so hard, now wasn't it? You just needed a little push in the right direction, and it seemed that Trunks, Goten and Tarble also wanted you to soften a little, so they came at the right moment."_

'I guess so.'

For the first time in a very long while, Vegeta smiled with joy, and hugged softly with his arms and legs the three persons who were able to bring out a part of him he thought he had lost a long time ago, when he was four years olds.

'Thank you…'

The trio, who were all growing nervous with Vegeta's calm attitude, relaxed and smiled when they felt his silent thanks, knowing they had completed their objectives in softening Mr. Prince Ice Wall.

Suddenly, a low chuckle was heard in the room.

Raising their heads, Trunks, Goten and Tarble were able to see a mischievous glint in Vegeta's eyes, his fangs bared in a predatory smirk as he looked down at them.

Trunks paled, realising what his dad wanted to do.

Goten looked from his best friend's face to Vegeta's in puzzlement, not understanding what was going on.

And Tarble "Eeep!"ed in surprise when he found himself unable to move, his big brother's legs tightening around his waist when he tried to escape.

Two other shouts of surprise accompanied his own, and the chibis were next to get caught and immobilized by the Prince's arms, pinning them to Vegeta's body.

"You know, boys, I've learned something very important tonight…" said Vegeta, his smirk widening even more.

The three boys in question (even if Tarble was in condition to reproduce) looked back at him, trembling a little. "A-And wha-at is it?" asked Trunks, gulping.

Flashing to Super Saiyan, Vegeta fixed Trunks with his teal eyes, the mischievous gleam in his eyes widening.

He chuckled. "When you're attacked by mysterious opponents that you don't know the fighting style of, you should always analyse it with carefulness and wait for the right moment to fight back, while using the same style as them, only in a better version…"

Now all the three Saiyans paled, knowing they were in for the upcoming ride of trouble that was Vegeta in his super powered form.

Struggling desperately to escape him, they were helpless to move when ki binds pinned them to the ground, immobilizing them from each other.

Shouting in distress and pleas to let them go, Vegeta ignored them, standing and looking around the room with the light his ki was producing.

He reached for the tools the trio had used earlier, letting the blanket fall to the side.

Turning around to stare at his bound victims, he stalked his way toward them, savouring the beginning of this new game they had made him learn some time earlier.

"Now, let me show you MY style…"

And with that, he pounced.

For many hours afterward, many shrieks of laugher and howls of plea to stop and have mercy could be heard outside the gravity room, until finally, at dawn, all got quiet.

*******

The next day, toward noon, Bulma Brief got home and announced loudly that she was back. Frowning when she didn't hear any comments, she made her way to the bedrooms, where she thought that she would find them.

They were all empty.

"Hello? Anyone here?!" she shouted.

Finding this strange, she walked toward the gravity room, thinking that Vegeta would be there.

However, the sight that met her when she opened the door to the gravity chamber wasn't the one she expected.

What she saw before her made her eyes widen, and she quickly rushed back to her room to find her camera. When she got back, Bulma saw that her mother and father were also there, looking into the room with bemused and girlish expressions on their faces.

Gently pushing her way past them, Bulma then positioned her camera, and took a picture from the scene before her. Smiling, she took the paper that was slowly spilled from the small machine, looking at it.

Hushing her parents our of the gravity room, she then gently closed the door, smiling softly as she made her way to her and Vegeta's bedroom, where she proceeded to put the taken picture into a rectangle of wood.

Looking at it for some time, she then wrote the date and hour behind it, and left the room.

After the door was closed with a click, our attention shifts it's view back to the picture, looking at it too.

Vegeta was asleep and smiling, his head learning against the foot of the control panel, and was holding a sleeping Trunks and Goten at his sides. The two chibis were sprawled on the floor and snoring on his chest like there was no tomorrow. Tarble was using Vegeta's stomach as a pillow, hugging his waist while snoring too. His tail was warped around one of Vegeta's tight, while one of Vegeta's legs was warped around the waist of his little brother. The morning sun was beaming at the sleeping family, creating a nice dim light that added to the magic moment.

Indeed, it would be a very magical moment that shall be remembered by everyone who saw the scene that morning.

Especially Vegeta, Trunks, Tarble, and Goten.

The End.

********

1. Since Trunks is the one that has the best ideas for pranks and the natural leadership of his father, it makes him easily the leader of the trio.

********

A/N: PFF! One week to complete this work! I'm finally finished! Yieepeee! I'll try to write some other chapters for Race Pursuit and Guarding Prince Brat sama no Ouji, but it may take a while, just to let me get back on track. Don't worry thought, I haven't abandoned my stories! Please R&R this one, so I can know what you think, and if I should make a sequel of it or not!

Oh, and just to tell you, the part where Tarble got to Earth to ask help from his big brother was true, but the rest of the summary where it explaned why he was sent away, I made it all myself.

Anyway, I hope you'll still like my story!

Until next time! ^^


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